US Dumping Toxic Brew in Iraq

The United States will be leaving a toxic brew of hazardous waste behind when US forces withdraw from Iraq, a new report says.

On Monday, The Times of London said that companies from the United States are selling local Iraqi scrap dealers a cocktail of toxic material and ordinary waste.

The waste is being disposed of locally instead of being returned for treatment or shipped to Iraq-based factories which specialize in disposal.'

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Compact Fluorescent Lights Dumping Mercury Directly into Landfills

Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs have become all the rage over the past several years, touted by many as the preferable "green" way to light a home, save energy, and promote environmental responsibility. While they may use less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, CFL bulbs are filled with toxic mercury that, when disposed of, contaminates landfills and the environment.

A report released in 2008 from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection revealed that when a CFL bulb is broken, it can release dangerously high levels of mercury into the air. Mercury-vapor standards generally allow for 300 nanograms of mercury per cubic meter of air, however a broken CFL bulb can emit upwards of 50,000 nanograms per cubic meter, or more than 166 times the safe upper threshold.'

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Banks 'Making A Killing' On Government Toxic Asset Program

As Bloomberg reports this morning, some of the nation's largest banks have actually bought more risky home loans instead of getting them off their balance sheets.

In other words, the program that was supposed to help banks dispose of these toxic assets instead made those assets so marketable that banks bought more -- and are now at even greater risk. The banks apparently decided that the government's entry into the mortgage security market was simply a guaranteed money-making opportunity.'

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